Gooch & Fifty

09/01/2026

If you still haven't gone to take your glimpse at this lake while still dry, there may still be time to see it at least still partially dried. Its a moment in history that doesn't happen much, may not happen again for a while, or may not actually happen again in your lifetime! Don't miss it, and be quick!

08/31/2026

Well, yesterday was not much of a feel-good day and rest became the priority, so we didn't quite get around to sharing these photos showing Dolly Parton performing right here in Blairsville on that April 21st, 1972 night, but we've finally gotten around to it!

A HUGE thanks to Penny Burrell Tanner for sharing these photos that her mother took that night! Of course, these photos are now more than 50 years old, so the quality isn't exactly top-notch, but nonetheless, these are actual photos from that specific night in Blairsville that we've been talking about. We even tried using ChatGPT to clear some of them up a little without changing the photos themselves.

Also, we noticed that many of you who commented on our last post had your own memories to share with us from that night, which we absolutely loved seeing! That also got us wondering, do any of you have photos from that night that you could share with us? If so, we would LOVE to see them! And even if they're not from this specific night, if you have any old photos from the Opry In The Wildwood, we'd still love to see those too! Please feel free to share them in the comments below or send them to us through a direct message. We would really appreciate it!

Hope you all enjoy getting to see this little piece of Union County history!

We also want to thank you all for the numerous shares on our last post and for helping us get the word out about this pretty incredible piece of Blairsville history. It is very much appreciated! ❤️

08/28/2026

Like many across the world, we at Gooch & Fifty are also sad to hear about the news of the great Dolly Parton. Not only was she an amazing country music artist, she was also just as amazing as a person. She cared for others, championed the "little man", and pushed for education, among many other great contributions. Like us, we are sure most of you reading this have seen a huge outpouring of tributes and stories about Dolly on your social media feeds from top to bottom. For those lucky enough, many were able to share tributes and stories about Dolly that originated in their hometowns. Although we know Blairsville is only a few short hours drive from Sevier County, Tennessee, we obviously just assumed that Blairsville wouldn't have any direct ties to any stories of Dolly Parton and that she probably never even dropped by Union County.

Until now, that is. Turns out that not only is there a direct Union County story involving Dolly, but there is also a tie to the special friendship she held with one of our area's very own local heroes. That hero? None other than former Georgia Governor Zell Miller! Turns out that Blairsville itself may be exactly where this special friendship between these two great people began!

Where at, though? At none other than the former Opry In The Wildwood that once stood in Blairsville along the Young Harris Highway, more specifically right near or right at where the present-day Mulkey's Wrecker Service impound lot stands today.

As the story goes, in her earlier days, Dolly toured around with the cast of The Porter Wagoner Show, hitting up different venues throughout the country. Luckily for Union County, the Opry In The Wildwood music hall was one of them. While performing here, she and Wagoner were top-selling stars for RCA Records at the time. Also joining them for the event was country comedian Speck Rhodes. The date was April 21st, 1972, with the 2 shows beginning at 7 and 10 P.M. sharp. Tickets were only $5 and $7.50. This was a far cry from the ticket prices you'd pay to see Dolly in a show in later years!

Back to Zell, it's certainly possible that he and his wife were among those in attendance that night. However, based on the article written and published by the AJC, which can be seen in the link below, Dolly may have actually played in Blairsville more than once. For those of you who don't want to purchase a subscription to read the article, the confirmation that led us to research whether Dolly did, in fact, have a Blairsville story and/or tie was this statement from the article by Shirley Miller: "But she remembers that back in 1967, Parton was playing a little music hall halfway between Zell Miller’s hometown of Young Harris and Blairsville, where the future governor first got to know her".

Clearly, with the newspaper clippings seen below, we do know that on the spring evening of April 21st, 1972, in Blairsville, Georgia, at the Opry In The Wildwood music hall, Dolly Parton did perform. Did Zell and Shirley meet Dolly and begin their special friendship together that same night, or had their friendship begun before? We will have to do a little more digging to absolutely confirm the exact facts. We do know, though, that wherever and whenever they first met, they remained close. In fact, Dolly even performed at one of Miller's annual birthday fundraisers in the mid-1970s when he was lieutenant governor. Years later, after Zell became Georgia Governor, he reached out to Dolly to push for the idea of getting every baby born in Georgia back home after birth with a classical music CD, and later, books. Of course, Dolly was on board.

Unfortunately, the very special 5,000-square-foot music hall, owned by John and Jeannette Cable, that may very well have played a part in the beginning of this special friendship between these 3 Appalachian icons and legends(Dolly, Zell, and Shirley) was itself lost to a fire just 8 months later.

AJC Link: https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/08/dolly-parton-and-georgias-zell-miller-shared-more-than-love-of-country-music/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT-odVjbGNrBP6hzXBkb2YBZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeXPIRFPTOGepu5QhIHxMW4IofjBVDo2kPQbzq-pyLBLDByqlq3LOkJx4mc9s_aem_Zjp2KG0kh1DqRTPXLUznqg&utm_campaign=mrf-facebook-ajc&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&mrfcid=202608276a909ea7c26cb664c2d27748

08/12/2026

Let's get started with these Union County-related posts from the European vacation!

Of all the historic places visited during our recent trip across Europe, there were some that had connections back home to Union County that most people would probably never expect. One of those places was London's legendary Central Criminal Court, better known throughout the world as the Old Bailey Court. Standing outside this famous courthouse was already special for someone fascinated by history. The "Old Bailey," as it is more familiarly known in short, has been the setting for some of Britain's most famous and notorious criminal trials, with a history stretching back centuries. But for us, there was another, much more local reason for stopping here. More than 80 years ago, a man from the small mountain town of Blairsville, Georgia, once sat on the bench inside.

That man was Charles Simpson Reid. Born in Blairsville in September of 1897, Reid's life would eventually take him remarkably far from the mountains of Union County that he grew up knowing. After becoming an attorney, Reid rose through Georgia's legal world and eventually made it all the way to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Following the sudden death of Chief Justice Richard Russell Sr. on December 3rd, 1938, Reid was appointed to succeed him and took his oath of office just two weeks later. He was only 41 years old. In doing so, Reid became the youngest Chief Justice in Georgia Supreme Court history, a distinction he still appears to hold more than 85 years later. Even more remarkably, accounts of Reid's life describe him as the youngest sitting state Supreme Court Chief Justice anywhere in the United States at the time of his appointment. Reid would serve as Georgia's Chief Justice for approximately 5 years, from 1938 until 1943. And, he did such a great job, in fact, that even President Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself even considered Reid for a position on the United States Supreme Court and even met with him to talk over the matter.

Then came World War II. In 1943, at the height of an already remarkable legal career, Reid did something extraordinary. He resigned from the Georgia Supreme Court and entered the United States Army. After receiving training in military government, Reid was sent to England in January 1944, where he became involved in property control and military-government work on the staff of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander and the future 34th President of the United States. For a former Georgia Chief Justice from Blairsville, that alone would have made for an incredible story, but it was during Reid's time in England that another unusual opportunity came his way. One that would bring his story directly to the courthouse pictured with this post.

Charles Simpson Reid was invited to sit as a judge at the Old Bailey. Newspaper accounts from the time reported that Reid sat jointly with noted British jurist Sir Norman Birkett during criminal proceedings inside the famous London courthouse. Birkett himself would later become Britain's alternate judge at the historic Nuremberg Trials, the post-World War II proceedings in which leading N**i officials were prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace. According to the newspaper accounts describing Reid's appearance at the Old Bailey, Reid and Birkett presided over a manslaughter case that resulted in a guilty verdict and also handled guilty pleas involving other criminal cases. Contemporary accounts went even further in describing just how unusual Reid's presence on that bench actually was, reporting that he was the first person who was neither a British subject nor a member of the King's court to receive such an honor.

Think about that for a moment. A man born in the small mountain town of Blairsville, Georgia, ultimately found himself sitting alongside one of Britain's prominent jurists inside one of the most famous criminal courts in the world. And Reid's remarkable wartime story didn't end there. After serving in England and accompanying the Allied advance through France and Germany, Reid continued his military-government work under Lt. Gen. Lucius D. Clay. He became chief of the Property Control Branch connected with reparations, deliveries, and restitution and became involved in the enormous task of administering occupied Germany following the collapse of N**i rule. Reid also served as chairman of the board responsible for properties belonging to the massive I.G. Farben industrial organization within the American occupation zone. He was even present when the International Military Tribunal convened in Berlin to hear the indictments that would lead to the Nuremberg Trials, although Reid himself was not an official participant in those proceedings. For his wartime service, Reid was ultimately awarded the Legion of Merit.

Eventually, the former Chief Justice returned home to Georgia and resumed practicing law, bringing home experiences that had taken him from the Georgia Supreme Court to Eisenhower's wartime headquarters, across liberated and occupied Europe, into the administration of postwar Germany, and even onto the judicial bench of London's Old Bailey. Unfortunately, Reid would not have very long to enjoy his return home. Charles Simpson Reid died in 1947 at only 50 years old, bringing an extraordinary life and career to an unexpectedly early end.

Today, Reid's remarkable story is largely forgotten, and that's one of the reasons this particular stop meant so much to us. When most people walk past the Old Bailey in London, understandably, Union County, Georgia, probably isn't the first place that comes to mind. But it came to ours. More than 80 years ago, someone who began his life in the mountains of Union County walked through these doors not simply as a tourist or visitor, but as an honored American jurist invited to take a place on one of the most historic judicial benches in the world. Sometimes our local history reaches much farther than we realize, and during our trip we felt this was an important place to visit for that very reason.

From Blairsville to Atlanta. From the Georgia Supreme Court to the United States Army. From Eisenhower's staff to occupied Germany. And, remarkably, from Union County, Georgia, to the Old Bailey in London, England.

That is the story of Charles Simpson Reid, and another example of just how far Union County history can travel.

08/06/2026

For the past few years, and intentionally so, this page has been focused primarily on preserving and sharing the history of Union County. That mission isn't changing. In fact, it will always remain at the heart of Gooch & Fifty.

What many of you may not realize, though, is that Gooch & Fifty was always intended to be about more than just local history. The vision from the beginning was to explore and share history and travel throughout all 50 states, hence the name Gooch & Fifty. Now, we're excited to expand that vision even further by sharing not only travel across America, but also some of our international adventures and the incredible history found along the way.

That month-long European trip we've mentioned several times, but never really shared? Nearly 3 months later, it's finally time.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing this journey in two parts. First, we'll highlight the locations, landmarks, and stories that have direct connections to Union County or Union Countians of the past. Once those are complete, we'll take you along on the personal side of the adventure, sharing the trip in chronological order from Day 1 until our journey came to an end.

To say this vacation was unforgettable would be an understatement. From standing where family members risked their lives during World War II, to visiting 7 countries, world-famous cities, iconic battlefields, castles, royal landmarks, incredible restaurants, museums, and historical sites...To traveling by planes, trains, automobiles, ferries, and just about every other form of transportation imaginable...To meeting hundreds of wonderful people along the way, reconnecting with old friends, and making countless new memories...This truly became the trip of a lifetime.

Our adventure began in early May and concluded in mid-June. We spent our first few days exploring London before making our way to Bournemouth, England, where we met up with our World War II tour led by Marty Morgan and our driver, Paul.

If the name Marty Morgan doesn't immediately sound familiar, chances are you've experienced his work. In addition to being an accomplished World War II historian, Marty worked on the sound design for Call of Duty: WWII and has contributed to numerous History Channel documentaries. He became our guide by way of working for the Stephen Ambrose Tours who helped us get our trip planned and set(Highly recommend them!). As for Paul, who grew up in the Czech Republic, we honestly couldn't have asked for a better driver or nicer traveling companion. Looking back, we truly hit the jackpot with both of them.

From Bournemouth, we crossed the English Channel into Normandy before continuing through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria. After completing the WWII portion of the trip, we continued on to Paris before returning to London, then traveling north to St. Andrews, Scotland, and finally back to London to wrap up an unforgettable month overseas.

You'll notice there are only 80 photos included in this first post, but don't let that fool you. Those 80 photos probably don't even represent 1% percent of everything we captured during the trip. Facebook has its limits, so these were simply a handful chosen to get us started.

The best photos, the best videos, and many of the best stories are still to come.

Personally, I've waited nearly 3 months to finally start sharing this adventure, and I couldn't be more excited. Of course, these posts may not be every single day, but maybe every other day or at least one a day a week. The consistency will really just depend on time and availability to do it(Hopefully more so than not!).

Let's get this journey started! (Well...right after I finish up a few Atlanta evening things and settle in for the night. 😜)

08/05/2026

Just an Update!

To those of you who have chosen to sponsor our 2nd year of Gooch & Fifty Trivia & Rewards, we first want to say thank you for your support and also assure you that we have not forgotten about you or this project.

When sponsorships were collected, we were preparing to leave for a month-long overseas trip. As many of you saw with our Preservation Month series, many of our projects were temporarily put on hold while we traveled. Now that we're back, our attention is turning toward getting Trivia & Rewards underway.

While we don't have an official launch date just yet, we're currently aiming for late August or early-to-mid September.

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Sponsorship Opportunities

We also wanted to announce that 18 Silver Sponsorships are still available.

Silver Sponsorships are $100 and include promotional benefits designed specifically for participating businesses. Originally, our goal was to seek sponsorships primarily from businesses because of those business-related benefits. However, we've decided we're also happy to accept sponsorships from individuals who simply want to support the program. After all, any sponsorship goes towards our purpose and mission of this event!

For those choosing to sponsor as an individual, please understand that the promotional benefits associated with Silver Sponsorships apply only to businesses, not individual sponsors.

Instead, we ask that individual sponsors submit a list of 5 businesses, ranked in order from 1-5, that they would like to see included on our rewards list. These businesses must offer gift cards or gift certificates, and we prefer they be focused on dining, lodging, shopping, entertainment, or other tourism-related experiences. This not only gives participants more great prize options but also helps support local businesses through gift card purchases.

Should we receive more than 18 Silver Sponsors, any additional sponsorship funds will go directly toward increasing our Grand Prize winnings.

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So...How Will Trivia & Rewards Work?

For those who may have forgotten, or for anyone hearing about Gooch & Fifty Trivia & Rewards for the first time, here are the basics to know.

Each week we'll host three rounds of Union County history trivia, taking place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between 6:00-7:00 P.M.

Each round will feature a series of questions centered around Union County history and related subjects.

Participants will earn points for correct answers, with the player finishing each round with the highest score being declared the winner. If there's a tie, the winner will be determined by who answered correctly the fastest. Participants ARE NOT required to answer ALL of the points to win. They are JUST required to get the most points.

Each round winner will then choose a prize from our Rewards List, consisting entirely of gift cards and gift certificates from participating businesses.

Prize values will range from $45-$75 per round, depending on whether the participant is a Gooch & Fifty member. Membership is not required to participate, but members will receive increased benefits and higher prize opportunities.

In addition to weekly prizes, every point earned throughout the year will count toward our annual standings. At the end of the season, the participants finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd overall in total points throughout the season will receive our Grand Prizes, with prize amounts to be announced at a later date.

We're excited to finally get this year's Trivia & Rewards underway and can't wait to see everyone competing while learning more about the incredible history of Union County.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out. We'll be glad to answer them!

Thank you all for your continued support!

08/05/2026

No, this story is not about Union County, and yes, it is about Atlanta, but even stories like this show exactly why it is so important to fight for city-granted historic landmark designations if you truly wish to see the historic character and charm of your town stick, even through "progress". It is a story worth sharing if for nothing but for awareness.

You may think the designation of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places prevents the demolition or alteration of the facades of homes, but that is an incorrect assumption. Only a city-granted historic landmark designation can do that.

For years now, we have slowly, but surely seen the changing looks of the Union County community and Downtown Blairsville area happen, especially when it comes to torn down buildings or the relocation of buildings in order for "more modern" buildings or facilities take their places. Meanwhile, as many Union Countians have driven over Blood Mountain for years for visits to Downtown Dahlonega, most of you should notice that not very much has changed in Dahlonega, despite all of the town's progress and the fact that Lumpkin County itself has grown much more in population size than Union County has. You would think that a community with much more population growth would see more changes than the slower growing community, but that isn't the case.

The difference? Once again, Dahlonega has a city-granted historic landmark framework through a local municipal ordinance that officially designates and protects its historic properties. Blairsville does not. Again, this cannot be stressed enough by us. If you want to see your hometown survive the "progress" and population growth, you must take it among yourselves to fight to make it happen, just like the citizens of Dahlonega did, and just like the citizens of Ansley Park in Atlanta are doing.

Now, back to this story we are sharing, we wish the citizens of Ansley Park success on this endeavor and that they are able to protect their neighborhood! Hopefully, they can be another example of showing how saving their community charm is done!

Just for those who are wondering how rules and guidelines work for historic districts and city-granted historic landmarks, here is Dahlonega's official list of guidelines that must be met! Take a look, and if you'd like, feel free to offer your 2 cents on what you do or do not like about it. Would you rather keep the rules in Blairsville as are that allow property owners to easily and simply destruct buildings you have known and seen your whole lives, or would you rather go Dahlonega's route and make that harder for property owners to do in order to save the historic character and charm of your town? We look forward to seeing the discussions, if any. Link:https://www.dahlonega.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HPC-Design-Guidelines-2014.pdf

Ansley Park moves closer to a historic district for Peachtree Circle after APCA approval. The proposal heads to NPU-E on August 4.

08/04/2026

Preservation Month(Catch-Up Post): Day 31

A Month in Review

Funny enough, the title says "Month in Review" when it should probably say "Months in Review." 😜😂

With a 5-week European journey centered around World War II history, a trip that even included learning about the history of Union Countians, it seemed only fitting to let Preservation Month become a series of catch-up posts so each story could receive the attention it deserved. After all, when we look back on this year's Preservation Month, we hope it isn't the timing of the posts that people remember. We hope it's the stories, the history, and the effort that went into sharing them.

That has always been the purpose of Preservation Month anyway. To demonstrate just how important preservation truly is, and how much more important it is becoming as Union County continues to change.

As you've seen throughout this series, preservation comes in many different forms. Sometimes it means restoring a historic building. Sometimes it means relocating a landmark to save it from destruction. Sometimes it means documenting a story before it's forgotten. And sometimes, unfortunately, it means remembering something that has already been lost because no one acted in time.

There has been a great deal of discussion about "progress" in our community in recent years. Too often, that conversation carries the assumption that progress requires the demolition of old buildings rather than finding new life and purpose for them. We believe that's the wrong message.

As a business dedicated to preserving the history of Union County, we hope this series has helped open your eyes not only to what has been lost, but also to what has been saved. The buildings that were given a second chance. The places that found a new purpose. The traditions that continue because someone cared enough to preserve them. Those successes remind us that preservation isn't about standing in the way of progress—it's about ensuring that progress doesn't erase the very stories, places, and heritage that make Union County the community we love today.

As this year's Preservation Month comes to a close, we'd like to leave you with one final thought.

Every historic building that still stands...Every old photograph that still exists...Every family story that has been passed from one generation to the next...And every artifact, cemetery, document, landmark, or tradition that survives today is here because someone, at some point, decided it was worth preserving.

The same will be true for the generations that come after us.

The question isn't whether Union County's history will continue to be made. It will. The question is what parts of today's Union County will still be here for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to experience because we cared enough to protect them.

Preservation is about far more than saving old buildings. It is about protecting our identity, honoring those who came before us, learning from our past, and ensuring that future generations can experience the same places, stories, and traditions that shaped us. Once something is gone, it can never truly be replaced. That is why preservation matters.

We hope this series has inspired you to look at Union County a little differently. Maybe you'll notice an old home you've driven by a hundred times. Maybe you'll ask a grandparent to tell a family story you've never heard. Maybe you'll stop to read a historical marker or take a picture of a place that deserves to be remembered. Every one of those actions is preservation, and every one of them helps keep our history alive.

Now we'd love to hear from you!

Preservation Month Poll:
Of all the Preservation Month posts we've shared, which one fascinated you the most or was your favorite? Why?

Your answers not only help us know what stories resonate most with our community, but they also help inspire future posts and future preservation efforts. If there's a person, place, building, tradition, or piece of Union County history you'd like to see featured in the future, let us know that as well!

Thank you for following along throughout Preservation Month and for supporting our mission of preserving, documenting, and sharing the history of Union County. History belongs to all of us, and preserving it is a responsibility we all share.

Because once history is lost, we can never recreate the original, but if we preserve it today, we can ensure it lives on forever.

08/04/2026

Preservation Month (Catch Up Post): Day 30

Union County Legends Mural

Just like our previous post featuring the Greetings From Union County, Georgia mural, this post will also be pinned and serve as a future reference for anyone wondering who is who and what is depicted on the mural.

The purpose behind the Union County Legends Mural is very similar to that of the Greetings mural, with one major difference. Rather than highlighting places, landmarks, and symbols that represent Union County, this mural honors Union Countians of the past whom we consider to be true "legends" of our community. By legends, we mean individuals who were born, raised, or even later moved to Union County and went on to make a significant impact not only here at home, but also across the state of Georgia, throughout the nation, and even internationally. Considering the size of our small mountain community, many people are often surprised to learn just how many remarkable individuals have called Union County home and the extraordinary accomplishments they achieved.

The mural represents people from many different walks of life. Featured are jurists, attorneys, legislators, aviators, renowned poets, pharmacists, military veterans, educators, foresters, politicians, heart transplant survivors, and even beloved pet animals that are associated with some of the individuals portrayed. While many of these legends shared similar values and a love for Union County, each followed a different path and faced different challenges, successes, and hardships throughout life. Every individual on this wall has a story worth telling, and each story serves as a reminder that someone from a small community like Union County can accomplish extraordinary things. We hope these stories inspire future generations of Union Countians to dream big, work hard, and believe that they, too, can leave a lasting impact. That said, matching, or even surpassing, the accomplishments represented on this wall is certainly no easy task.

After the Greetings From Union County, Georgia mural transformed what had once been a plain white wall into a colorful tribute to our community, we felt there was no reason to stop there. We wanted to recognize not only the places that make Union County special, but also the people who helped shape its history. At the same time, we saw another blank wall around the corner as another opportunity to create something meaningful. Plans were made, mock-ups were drawn, and countless discussions took place before the vision finally came to life. Thanks to the incredible talent and hard work of mural artists Audie Murrell and Robert Dasher, the Union County Legends Mural became a reality.

Like the Greetings mural, this mural was also designed with interactive elements in mind as another way of preserving and sharing our local history through modern technology. Unlike the first mural, however, we have not yet been able to install a plaque with a QR code that directs visitors to the website containing the historical information for each individual featured on the wall. Fortunately, the website is already available and remains fully functional, allowing anyone interested to learn more about each Union County legend at their own convenience.

Over the past couple of years, we've heard many opinions about the mural. We've heard suggestions about individuals people believe should have been included or added, and we've also heard that many visitors have no way of knowing who is who, which, without a plaque identifying each person, is certainly a fair observation. With this post, our goal is not only to tell the story behind the mural, but also to help identify the individuals featured.

More importantly, we want to once again explain the selection process. Just as with the Greetings From Union County, Georgia mural, circumstances at the time and issues involving trust prevented us from carrying out the process the way we had originally envisioned. As a result, we ultimately selected the individuals based largely on the historical information and family contacts that were already available to us. Our original hope was for this to become a true community-driven project from the very beginning.

Looking ahead, we would still love to see that vision become a reality. Just like the Greetings mural, our hope is that one day the community will have the opportunity to participate in selecting future additions through a public voting process to determine "Who's Next?". Not only would this allow more voices to be heard, but it would also encourage greater community involvement, local pride, and a deeper appreciation for Union County's remarkable history. Of course, making that happen will require community support, participation, and the financial resources necessary to expand on the mural. Until that day comes, the mural will proudly remain as it stands today. As a tribute to the remarkable men, women, and stories that have helped shape Union County into what it is today.